


How To Drink Lemonade

by Atumun15



Series: Jun's Guide Of How To's [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Blurb, Domestic, Fluff, I hope you like it, M/M, but as a dad, but it gets better, idk what im doing, kind of sad in the beginning, minghao - Freeform, that could be a series, this is my first contribution to this fandom, uwu, with a kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 07:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17700344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atumun15/pseuds/Atumun15
Summary: "You mean to tell me you drink lemonade without a straw?""Yes..?""That's a federal crime!"





	How To Drink Lemonade

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first contribution to the seventeen tag after staying in the stray kids tag for almost a year, (which i'm still in, fear not) but i'm still learning dynamics of ships so this might not be the best. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

 

Xu Minghao.

 

A man with a well-known face and an even better-known name became the distinctive line every parent gave their newly born kids to not cross by any means. The man, the poor, poor man, owned such a harsh reputation that barely anyone could look him in the eye and it broke his heart in many ways. The rumors started spreading when he barely reached the age of 17, having faced many small rumors growing up but these… these tore his reputation to absolute shreds.

 

However, to completely understand what Minghao went through, this story must start at the beginning when his mother moved all the way to South Korea when he turned 8, and Xu Minghao, despite being apart of the wide variety of transfer students, became the class talk. Perhaps the mere idea of Minghao getting into a good school on scholarships at such a young age started the sneers he’d see regularly, but they should not become the starting point for such cruel rumors. The rumors were always small at the beginning such as Minghao liking someone or talking shit about another, but of course, none of them actually held truth to them. That’s just not the way things played in his head.

 

Truthfully, Minghao always owned such a golden heart and loved kids to absolute death just as he did animals, but no one saw that. They saw the bruises he wore underneath the slightly ragged uniforms that formed from Minghao simply taking the clumsy trait from his mother and the easy bruising from his dad. However, no one knew this, and no one wanted to know this. His peers found it much easier to just play along with the hurtful fantasies in their heads and began to claim that Minghao ran with gangs. It sure didn’t help the fact that his mother avidly smoked and the scent lingered on his uniforms which attracted the attention of the boys under the bleachers and Minghao became increasingly annoyed every time they offered him a smoke.

 

However, Minghao did not resemble that of a robot and unfortunately, resulted to a ticking time bomb instead. Minghao just turned 17, started the second week of his last year of high school, and absolutely _exploded_. Kids were cruel, especially when their maturity lacked and they surely didn’t know when enough was enough. So, when Minghao heard a comment he had heard so many time before… something snapped inside his head and next thing Minghao knew, he had a kid he grew up with pinned to the ground and threw punch after punch into him until a teacher pulled him off.

 

If Minghao was given the chance to throw a few more punches, that student would have died and Minghao would be in jail for manslaughter. But as the miracle presented himself, Minghao couldn’t help but think that maybe jail would be a lot easier than the shit he had to go through the following years. The looks…

 

Minghao tried not to think about it too much.

 

After that, a member of a local gang confronted him and pulled him aside with the proposition of a place among them. Though the Minghao in everyone else’s heads would’ve accepted without a heartbeat between, this Minghao simply declined, bowed respectfully, and walked away because there was a buffer in his life that kept his head afloat and eyes set on a bright and happy future, and it came in the form of a person named Lee Hayoon, a girl Minghao met at the gardens on the off side of town while he tended to the soil.

 

In Minghao’s eyes, Hayoon resembled everything bright in his life and Minghao became smitten within just a few short seconds. She saw Mingaho for who he really was and gave him a chance at the very beginning, visiting him and helping him with the gardens until the poor man grew the balls to ask her out on a date. Mingaho swore up and down that the moment she smiled and laughed at one of his god awful jokes that he was done for and this was the girl he wanted to spend his life with.

 

And he would have had it too if Hayoon was as bright on the inside as she was on the outside.

 

The fact of the matter is that nothing happy ever lasts for Minghao but he became so blinded by the love he owned for Hayoon that he failed to see the light in her eyes slowly dying as time passed…. Even after they finally got married and had a little girl by the name of Misook. On October 15th, 2020, Hayoon ran out into the street and was hit by a fast-paced truck, shattering her spine, ankles, and one of her arms, and on December 19th, 2020, Minghao took her off life support and finally let her be at peace after facing multiple seizures in her coma induced state. He couldn’t watch her suffer anymore, and it was unfair for all of them to make her hold on for much longer, especially when he found out she purposefully ran out into the street.

 

Minghao stopped wearing his ring two years after, and now he fell into this stigma that everyone else had for him. Now, he was 27, took care of a little six-year-old girl that held his whole heart in her little tiny hands, and ran a tattoo shop alongside his best, and only, friend Choi Seungcheol. Now, Minghao the looks he received every time he pulled down his mask and people recognized him. He ignored the whispers all around him that spoke of him possibly murdering someone or having connections with local gangs because there was nothing he could do to stop them. People would always believe what they choose to believe, and Minghao long accepted this and moved on with his life, even if Seungcheol struggled to do the same every time he saw or heard all of this for himself.

 

“I’ll never understand why you let people treat you like this,”

 

“Because last time I let it get to me, I almost killed someone, Hyung,”

  
  
  


**May 29, 2025**

 

It rained heavily that day, so much that it relaxed Minghao immensely. It pounded against the rooftops and Minghao purposefully turned his normally very loud music down so he could hear the heavy rain a little better. “Hey, angel, do you want some lemonade?” Minghao called out quietly from behind the front counter, loud enough to grab her attention but not startle her. The little girl looked up from her math homework with a pout, obviously thinking about it before she nodded her head timidly.

 

“Please, dad,” Misook politely addressed and Minghao grinned fondly. Minghao practically taught her manners the day she entered this world and he felt smug about the fact that she took his lessons seriously and let it become second nature for her. “Is the rain supposed to stop soon?” Misook spoke in a much louder tone now when the rain became heavier and the once white noise came up to the front and caught both of their attention. Minghao sighed and shook his head.

 

“I love the rain, but the garden is going to be drowned out at this point,” Minghao muttered in sorrow of the thought of his ruined garden but it seemed to affect Misook a bit more.

 

“My flowers!” Misook wailed in distress, and Minghao panicked at the obvious tears threatening to spill and rushed forward with the glass of pale lemonade in hand before lowering himself down onto the ground in front of her.

 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. We’ll just plant new ones, angel,” Minghao hushed, cupping her chubby cheek and stroking it softly. “I know it hurts but this is just mother natures way of saying try again. This is just a part of life, kid,” Minghao explained, knowing she didn’t fully understand what he was saying but getting a general idea anyhow. Misook nodded with a hiccup and wiped at her cheeks harshly, apologizing for crying, “Now don’t go bursting into tears again today, alright? You’re gonna give your poor dad a heart attack,” Mingaho laughed and ruffled her hair before getting up and off of the ground, allowing her to go back to her homework while drinking her lemonade.

 

Minghao’s shiny leather combat boots squeaked against the tile floor as he walked back to the lemonade tub off to the side of the front desk, the man wincing slightly at one particular loud squeak. It was so high pitched that Minghao couldn’t help but look down and eye the scuff marks on the white tile with disdain. “Damnit,” Minghao cursed under his breath, going over to the maintenance closet nearby to grab some cleaning supplies. The day lacked attention as Minghao only scheduled two clients for the day and the rain was so heavy that he doubted anyone would come in with the desire to have a tattoo.

 

However, Minghao was yet again, wrong when he squatted down to clean the floor and the door chimed as it opened aggressively. Minghao and Misook snapped their heads up in alarm, Minghao slightly confused when he sees a man panting heavily in the doorway, the door now closed behind him. Minghao couldn’t get a good look of his face in the beginning as the man was hunched over with his hands on his knees, but when he uttered out “Man, I’m so out of shape,” in Chinese, Minghao couldn’t help but be a bit more friendly than normal, especially when he noticed that water was dripping from the edges of his long, brown trench coat hovering over his pale blue turtle neck and from the edges of his beautiful light brown colored hair onto the floor.

 

“Do you need a towel?” This time, it was the man that just entered turn to snap his head up in alarm and a flush spread across his cheeks when he looked Minghao up and down, eyes falling on his exposed, tattooed arms under his black muscle tee. Minghao couldn’t help but bristle at just how handsome this poor fuck was. “Can’t you hear? Answer my question! You’re getting water everywhere,” Minghao scowled, crossing his arms over his chest and the stranger gulped before nodding his head profusely.

 

“Yes! Yes, a towel would be nice…” The stranger breathed out, cheeks still set aflame but once he noticed the little girl on the floor that looked like a little Minghao, the stranger paled significantly. God, he was really about to flirt with a man with a kid wasn’t he? The stranger made an internal note to himself to check for a ring when Minghao comes back. It didn’t take long, as Minghao didn’t really want to leave his kid with a stranger unattended but when he came back, the stranger still stood frozen by the door. “Thank you,” The stranger thanked, bowing a bit but Minghao just waved him off.

 

“It’s fine. You can stay until the rain lets up,” Minghao promised with a small smile and the stranger’s knees nearly gave out on him at the sight of it. Minghao truly was an attractive man with his hair styled into a black mullet that the stranger swore up and down that no one could ever pull off but yet, here stood this man that practically looked like God himself.

 

“I’m Junhui, but… just call me Jun,” The stranger held out his hand for Minghao to shake, the younger staring at it for a moment before taking it into his own and shaking it firmly.

 

“Nice to meet you, Jun. I’m Minghao,” Jun’s eyes lit up at the familiar Chinese name and nearly squealed when he realized that Minghao hadn’t been wearing a ring. _Maybe he had a chance?_ “And that one over there is my little girl, Misook. Say hi to Jun, angel,” The little girl looked up with a pout, but then offered the stranger a bright smile and waved politely.

 

“Hi!”

 

Minghao grinned fondly at the little girl and Jun felt like he was going to collapse at any moment at the sight of it. This man… Jun needed to have him. “So… what is this place? I didn’t get a good look before I ran in,” Jun shyly questioned, rubbing at the back of his neck shyly and Minghao laughed a little as he trailed back over to his desk chair behind the counter and plopping down into it before kicking his legs up onto the desk and popping a cherry sucker into his mouth.

 

“It’s a tattoo shop,” Minghao answered shortly, running the sucker absentmindedly across his lips lightly and giving them a slightly pinker tint, “I started the business a few years back, but it’s just me and a few other artists. I sent them all home this morning, though,” Minghao explained a bit more when it looked like Jun was unhappy with his very short response. Now more content, Jun smiled and nodded.

 

“Can I see some of your stuff?”

 

“Sure,” Minghao nodded, grabbing his journal full of drawings and printed out pictures of tattoos he’s done before from his bag beside him and handing it to Jun with ease. “There’s lemonade over there by the way if you want some,” Minghao pointed off to the side and Jun whirled his head around to see the large tub on a small table off to the side where a few cups were placed and much to Jun’s horror, there were no straws in sight.

 

“Do you not have straws?” Minghao’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, lips tugging into a natural pout and Jun would have cooed if he wasn’t so damn outraged.

 

“No?” Jun’s eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head, mouth falling agape because now he realized that a man so beautiful obviously had his flaws and this time, Minghao was just an idiot.

 

"You mean to tell me you drink lemonade without a straw?"

 

"Yes..?"

 

"That's a federal crime!"

 

Minghao broke out into giggles as Misook cheered brightly. “Straws are the best! Especially when they’re the curly ones!” Misook gushed cutely and now Jun was absolutely determined. At least the kid was somewhat intelligent.

 

“I’ll be back,” Jun claimed, stepping away from the counter where Minghao’s journal laid, and Minghao gawked in shock at the man darting toward the door.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“To go get straws because you’ve obviously been doing things wrong your whole life!” Jun exclaimed before he ran out through the front door, into the pouring rain and down the street toward the corner store a block down. It took Jun fifteen minutes to get to the corner store, find straws, and then make his way back to the studio where Minghao leaned back in his chair playing a game on his phone and a glass of untouched lemonade on the desk. Minghao may think Jun was absolutely insane, but the man treated him kindly as if he had no idea of Minghao’s reputation and Minghao didn’t want to risk ruining that.

 

“I’m back! I couldn’t find the curly ones, sweetheart but I managed to find the multi-colored ones that look like candy canes,” Jun rambled the moment he entered the studio, more soaked than he had been before, and his attention was locked on the giddy little girl on the floor. Misook squealed when he pulled out the package of straws from the yellow plastic bag, opened them, and handed them to her. Misook took them gratefully and ran over to the table, hair swaying and tiny hands reaching out to grab one of the cups to put the straws inside. Jun hovered over her to make sure she didn’t make a mess and all Minghao could do was watch them fondly, despite being shell shocked by everything that had just happened.

 

“Thank you for the straws, sir!” Misook thanked, taking a purple and green one from the cup and sticking it in her bright blue cup from earlier and Jun took a pink and yellow one for himself with a grin, finally pouring himself a glass.

 

“What color do you want, Minghao?” Jun questioned, glancing back to Minghao with a grin and Minghao’s stomach lurched at the sight. It had been a very long time since someone had been so polite to him without thinking about it.

  
“Red and blue,” Minghao hushed and Jun trailed over, water dripping all over the floor and Minghao winced when Jun trailed water everywhere, “Jun,”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Use a towel,” Jun flushed at the realization of the mess he made and he quickly rushed over to where he placed the damp towel earlier and slipped his jacket off of his body and draped it over a rack by the door. “You’re insane,” Minghao laughed quietly when Jun trailed back over, wiping his wet hair back to reveal his forehead, and Minghao tried his best not to stare for too long.

  
“Would now be a good time to ask for your number?” Minghao gaped at him for a moment, not sure what to say and Jun quickly cut in, “Just for teaching you how to do things you know. You obviously can’t do things properly but luckily for you, you have me to teach you the way of life,” Jun grinned from ear to ear and if Minghao’s life had been a bit different, he probably would have said no.

 

“Give me your phone, idiot,”

  
  
  
[[MOODBOARD](https://twitter.com/atumun15/status/1093719806988242947?s=20)]  
  



End file.
